John G Scoville to Ruth Scoville

(Ohio is a noble State)

(is it not)

Memphis Tenn Sept 25^th..62

Sing to me of heaven

 

Dear Companion

i will write a few lines to let you know that i am some better this morning i do not expect to finish letter today so i will make a journal letter of it i wonder if you get nearly all the letters that i send

 

            if i am verry sick maby i can get a furlo but it costs something but that is a small matter, when a person is away from friends, home, pleasure so sweet. O i think of you all most hourly, but i must write write of some thing elce for i feel sad and dreary to think that we abid part—our artilery are shooting at a mark 3 milds down the river the roar of the cannons sounds natureal yet there is some thing melancoly in the sound (it sites us to Shiloh or Pittsburg landing) whare many a brave boy saw the sun rise for the last time. it was a beautiful morning the wild flours ware in full bloom and the birds singing there morning songs / of praise but alass what was the sean ear the sun was at noon tide tis usless for me to relate for words cannot tell nor am i capable of discribeing that field of distruction and suffering humanity

 

            the fact is i dont have any perticular anxiety to see another scene of the same heart rending site O i wish that i knew that you and the children was comfortable situated—it matters not for my self for i am a man but those tender hands and those little dear children that look to mother for support—well maby i may be of some use yet ear i close my eyes in death i think i know i have a loveing wife that has suffered and toiled for my sake, and how many anxious hours of hope she has spent but i am still in hopes, altho things look dark at present but briter days are coming would to god they would come before long for i am tiered of war yes tiered of being so far from home i say home i mean my family my wife and children 

 

now if i have written any thing rong or sinful pleas forgive me

 

let not concienc make you linger nor of fitness fondly dream Ruth dearest and best of all others for get not at eave to pause and think of the early vowes of affection and love, o then pleas pray to the lord of all gooness and to bless you and your dear children and your once happy J G S maby god will permit me to be happy again one thing i know and that is i expect to be happy after death when lifes conflicks are ore yes on that golden shore whare all our troubles will be ore

Sept 26^th..62

            good morning how are you is our children well Ruth Laura Philander Princis Silva and little Ruth the sweet pink, i am some better but not able for duty yet i think i will get well before long. the war news are incourageing hear at this time i suppose you get papers with more reliable news that than we do, some times i am discoraged some but some thing will say chear up. well i know tis best to keep the spirits up, yes i know by experience when sorrow fills the heart and one seams to doubt then look to crist and pray / yes he is able and willing to sooth all our sorrows O if i was with you i could talk better than i can on this paper…now Ruth pleas write ofton for it is such a pleasure for me to get letters from love ones at home i will try to send some thing to you and the children when i send another box of clothing. we will be apt to stay hear at Memphis all winter all tho we mite posibly be called a way soon we cant tell much about it i will write more another day

 

Memphis Tenn Sept 27..62

Dear companion i write a few more lines this beautiful morning. i am some better but i am weak i hope i may be well in a week or so. my lungs are not as good as they mite be but i think my health will be good enoughf if i get home whare there is not so much exposure—now Ruth do not think to rashly concerning Laura and John Walker. i am shure i have not written any thing so verry much out of place, i know i did not say to her you may marry him nor did i say she had not better marry him i know she wants a home /

we go up the river tomorrow to some small town to whip some girillyes and return to camt

Memphis Tenn Sept 27^th..62

Dear companion i will a few lines more i am better today i think i will be well in a week or 10 days well i still think that i will get home again—maby between now and newyears if i live and can get a furlo O i want to see you so bad that scarcely can pass an hour but i think of you at home O how i long to once more imbrace that sweet form in my arms and be with those dear children and do a farthers part yes a farthers part towards a little family that has been so much misused by me o can i be forgiven for the sinful neglect i could write page after page on past life but i know time once past never returns O my dear companion if i ware with you to share the toils of this world i think i would be far more happy than i am away down hear in this wicked rebbel city away from friends and comforts of common life yes deprived of society (and expecting to be in a battle before long the ware) /

 

tis 3 oclock the company are out drilling i am siting in the tent on my bunk writeing these poor lines O i want you to tell me all your troubles my dear wife yes pleas do and let me know all it would be so hard for for you to not tell all to a once loved and happy man if i was there i could explain more than i can on paper yes and then it will be such a pleasure to sit and converce as we ust to do when we talked of loves young dreams and beauties of earth and of days of sunshine and happyness—well dearest maby god in his mercy will yet permit us to spend happy days together. i hope to live to see my family once more and see them in a comfortable and happy condition yes tis my prair O my troubles will be ore on that blissful golden shoar whare sin and sorrow never comes whare sweet angels are singing yes whare pleasure never dies O i want to to have you sing to me of heaven pleas sing that peas some eave when all nature is still O if i was there how pleasent it would it be / to walk on the river bank and converce together but we are a long way apart yes but we must hope for the best all may be well yet keep in good chear dear one thou knowest that i will come to thee as soon as my officers will let me, yes i will come as soon as i can i have learned some things since i have been in the united States Service yes i have learned that it is a hard life and a lone some one to me the time was when i was happy and i think my Ruth was happy to but alass sin entered my heart yes it was me that was to blame O may god forgive me for such cruel and sinful conduct well i had better write about something more pleasent. yes i just thought the rebels are getting whipt at every point do you get papers if not i will send some to you now Ruth pleas pray for me at eave or morn O i know yes i know your lot is to hard and has been for years but i hope to to leson your troubles ear long may gods blessings be with you all /

 

Sept 29 Memphis Tenn

            Dear o my dear Ruth it is to thee i write a few lines this beautiful morning i am well enoughf now to go on gard but yesterday i had the hottest fever that i have had for years, but but when it went down i returned to my post on gard. maby the fever will not return today. O if i was with you so you could cool my feverd brow but i must bear it with composure tis useless for a soldier to complain i have not herd from you since i received your letter of Sept 11—i thank you for those stamps i can get invelops hear Philander what we have some cannons or properly Seage guns that weigh upwards of 17 thousand lbs maby our reg will become artillerists there is such talk if we get to handle those large guns it will be nice work O may heaven protect you all yes may gods blessings attend you i know dearist that you will breath a prayer for a lone soldier far from home.        John G Scoville 

 

                        (pleas continue to pray for me and kiss our dear children)

 

                                    Memphis Sept 30..62 as i have not mailed this letter untill today i will write one or too more—i am allmost well we did not go up the river as i expected all is quiet hear except the citizens ofton shoot at our gards our patroal gards in the city they do not molest our brigade or regamental or camp gards no they dare not. i will write soon again yes a long one o i wish could get one from you next mail /

PS                    (write ofton for i think i do not get all your letters

i wate with pacience, i dream of you ofton and fain would be there your troubles to shair my dear Ruth do keep up good spirits the clouds will soon pass a way and brite days of joy will crown our heads i knout tis hard to be so far from each other

                                                but trust in the lord and all will be well

                                                            gods blessings be with you all /

 

Grand army of the West or Missippi

Memphis Tennissee                Sept Oct 3^rd..62

Dear companion it gave me greate pleasure to receive a letter from you yesterday i was so glad to know that you ware all well yes it is such a comfort to me to hear from home and loved ones there i put a letter in the office a few days since stateing that i was nearly well but i am far from being well now well i thought i was able to go on gard so i went on the Brigade gard one term of 24 hours and on reg gard one but i was too weak and not aware of it we go on post 2 hours then off 4 at nite when i was off post i as usual spread my blanket on the ground and slept or rather lay awake untill my turn came again. well i took cold and now i am confined to my tent with the lung fever, but i am better today when i received your letter yesterday i had been takeing opium pills and was verry sleepy but when the ordley handed me a letter i think i soon livened up. O my Ruth pleas write ofton for i do not get a letter once a month / dear Ruth if you was only hear and would wet a flanel cloth i warm vinnegar and put it on my side what i would give it would relieve that hard pain i think that i will not be sick long our doctor is giveing me medicin to day i took one doce early this morning and have more to take at 3 oclock

 

Now dearest and best wife pleas dont let my being sick trouble you but pleas look forward in hopse of hapyer days and pray for my recovery and return to my family yes to that dear little wife and children that has past many an ancous and some times sleepless night on my acount O can i ever repay them yes if god spaires my life i will try to repay you. O Ruth i want you to talk with Laura and tell her that i did not have any thing against marriage i was glad to know that she was going to have a good kind hearted companion. i no i sayed it was hard for me to give her to to another i ment it was hard to give her to any one for she was a good girl and was the first of our little family yes the first born and it was hard / for me to after doating on her to give her to another therefore i did not say yes or no supposeing and wishing her to choose for her self and i would be pleased with her chooce Ruth you know that i do not think tis rite for parrents to choose for children. now Laura pleas dont think me dissatisfied no no far from it. the letter that i received yester brought me the news that Laura Scoville and John Walker ware marryed O may god bless you both in through life may your days be spent happy together on earth and rewarded in heaven O my dear child try to be a good kind companion to the one of your choice and i trust he will be the same to you now John all i regret is that i have not done a farthers part by lol in the way of education and i regret to that her parrents are not able to set her out well but it is as it is but you must take her as she is and be happy and trust in the lord for the future blessings let your motto be to be contented and happy may god be with you all John G. Scoville

 

[margin] there is news in the paper that we got since i finished writeing that the rebbels ware trying to make peace o i hope that peace will be made soon so us tiered soldiers can go home to our friends good by for this time a word more pleas kiss toty Sibby Prinny and Phi for me 

 

            i had to stop writeing and rest and wipe away some tears that ware corseing there way down my cheaks, but now i will try to write a few lines more i think we will remain hear untill next spring it is hot wether hear yet tho not so disagreeable as it in mid summer but what comfort do i see hear tis true it is a pleasent deliteful place that overlooks the river with its numerous steam boats passing up and down and the beautiful city on our rite our left and the green forrest in the distance in front and our strong brest works mounted with heavy cannon serounding our whole camp except the river side and the gun boats carelessly floating there, but some thing is wanting i am not happy no no far from it i am not with Ruth but i will try to be resined to my lot well knowing god doeth all things well and can in all places give answer to prayr O Ruth pleas sing that peace for me excuse my bad writeing if you can fix any of that clothing for Phi do so i regret that i did not send some dresses for you and the little girls that blanket will be good to put on your bead a cold winters nite Phi be good to mother and little sisters dear yes be kind to all you meet. may gods blessing be with you 

 

            Memphis Tennessee Oct 15..62

Dear companion and children i write to you again informing you that i am some better than i was when i last wrote but i am not well yet i was quite sick for some time but i am verry thankful that i am on the mend it is the lung fever but i think i will soon get well i received a letter from you a few days since it was written oct 1 i was so happy to no that you ware all well and verry glad to hear from you

 

            O my dear wife if i had been sitting in that vacant seat that you spoke of how happy i would been but i was not there i was at that time in my tent laying on my blankets with a scorching fever and coughfing ofton but thanks to my redeamer i am getting well yes i think so at least i am better i cant express my thankfulness for the goodness of the lord to me o the sweet consoleing thoughts of injoying the pleasures of heaven with Jesus and angels with there sweet deliteful music. when this life and its troubles are ore / yes heaven deliteful heaven our glorous home above there will be no more sorrow there in heaven above whare all is love there will be no more sorrow there, no, no, our tears will be wiped a way and joy fill our soles through sweet and long eternity O live to god prepare to meet me on that golden shore whare we can walk ore the brite planes of the eadon of love. i pray much for you and dear children and hope you remember me in your prayers O my dear wife you spoke of being afraid that i would for get my god i know that i am placed in a hard place whare there are many things to alure the mind and lead a cristian astray i herd an officer remark that Scoville was the only one in Co F that did not sware but let them try to lead me away i only stick the closer to my god and try to persuade them to forsake sin and live in the fear of there god forget my god no, no, never not while i have life on earth and have my reason left me, no tis all and all to serve my god while ive breath and / and when my voice is lost in death &c O my dear companion pleas have confidence in your husband he spends many a all most sleepless nite praying for your wellfare and think of you and longing to be with you and contemplateing future happyness and thinking of past life and happyness to come. well i am tierd and must lay down and rest

 

Oct 16 Thursday morning 7 oclock

Good morning Ruth and children i am better how are you. well i layed down to rest and went to sleep O i slept so sweetly and dreamed of home of Ruth and children and of pleasent fields and sweet bowers and beautiful gardens of flowers and of walking with my dear wife in beautiful forrests and the birds ware singing ore there songs of praise then i awoke and alass i was away down in Tennissee with a parsal of wicked soldiers. when i awoke it was too late to write so i finish this morning. well i think the war will soon be over, yes all things look favorable at present. O i want to see you all so bad but i must have patience all will be well yet. we must keep our trust in god yes he doeth all things well 

 

                        Eadon of love

How sweet to reflect on the joys that awate me

In yon blissful region the heaven of rest

Whare the glorified spirits with welcom will greet me

And lead me to mansions prepaired for the blest

 

Ensircled in lite and with glory enshrouded

My happiness perfict my minds sky unclouded

Ill bathe in the ocean of pleasure unbounded

And range with delight through the eadon of love

 

i am getting tired and must close O my dear companion pleas rite to me ofton yes do for it is such a comfort to me to hear from you O if i ware with you i would be so happy give John and lol my best respects and wishes i will write to them soon O little children what must i say to you. well be good be kind and affectionate to mother your farther will shurely come to you if his life is spaired be of good chear, may gods blessings be with you all                    yours untill death                    John Griffen Scoville to his

                                                                                    dear family

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